Hōraios
by gDeIpVhIrNoEtt
Summary: Two individuals with memories so alike and a past that cannot be distinguished from the other's. The concord of their lives and the certainty of their fate are blemished by lies and unawareness. Will they be capable of untangling their selves from the web of deception that threatens their souls? My version of Kuroshitsuji II. IN-PROGRESS, PLEASE REVIEW. Rated M for mature themes.
1. Chapter 1: Introductions

_Author's note: I do not own the characters, the plot, the concept, or the story.  
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_By the way, "Horaios" is the Greek word for "beauty". Though it's not really a central/strong theme around the anime/the story, I like how the word sounds.  
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_To the people who have watched Kuroshitsuji II: _

_Please note that I WILL omit a lot of parts. This novelization will strongly center only among the parts that involve Alois Trancy...so the mini-episodes of Ciel's case solving and his date with Lizzy is going to be out. The triplets, Grell, and the parts with Shinigami will be out. I want it to be focused around the Trancy Tragedy. Though only bits of the Trancy Costume Ball will be narrated, yes, yes, I will make sure that readers know that Ciel has amnesia. Because I will not be narrating Kuroshitsuji's 1st season, there will be a lot of flashbacks to explain why is Ciel amnesiac and all stuff about the contract.  
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_EDIT 1/7/13: I have changed my mind and decided to include Lizzy. Still, no plans for yaoi.  
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_Since, stating from personal experience - I had to watch the whole season II about 7 or 8 or 9 times all over again to understand everything - I will do a great deal of explaining on that part, which will come much later.  
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_Please review, tell me what you think.  
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_Please note that I've written everything, assuming that you all fully understand what happened in Season 1.  
_

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**Chapter 1: Introductions **

Another one of those seemingly endless days, nothing but a continuous shower of boredom and dullness to make life even more boring – that was today for a certain blonde boy.

That blonde boy was no ordinary boy, however. He was an earl, if that was what people in those days called someone of his rank and simply awe-striking wealth. His mansion was gilded inside-out, and it was rumored that the rooms and the passages, even the scullery – was shimmering and ornate with shining rubies and custom-imported carpets.

But it was not his immense wealth or his favorable standing as the Queen's Guard Spider that kicked him out of the mediocre population. It wasn't his unusual, silky blonde hair and his piercing cerulean eyes that shone like sapphires that made him so special.

It was his butler.

The blonde boy was only in his early teenage years. He kept jabbing and jabbing a gloved finger against the surface of the newly-polished table his face was pressed upon, spoiling its polish with the uttermost shamelessness – just to save him from boredom. Though the boy knew that there were a million more things besides a newly-polished table to entertain him in such lavish a mansion, all those things were either not to his interest, or he had already lost his interest in. He looked out his glass window, and noticed that the sun was already setting, the final golden rays disappearing, melting against the green, green forest that encircled his mansion.

A knock from the door knocked him out of his oblivion. Without really bothering to wait for a "come in," his butler entered anyway.

"Young master," a very deep and composed voice called out diplomatically, "the preparations for dinner are complete. We await you downstairs."

"Ah, Claude," the young blonde replied his usual sing-song voice, "what's for tonight?" The voice was as pleasant as the chirping of birds, innocent as a child's, yet hiding behind it was the sharpness that rivaled even a blade's. His sapphire eyes closed and his lips formed into an ever bittersweet smile.

"A Salmon Fillet, yogurt and mashed potatoes with mushroom sauce included as you have requested, Master Alois. I have been careful to include the buttered vegetables and the eggs."

Alois Trancy's sapphire eyes opened, and scanned over his towering butler's lean body that was as straight and sturdy as a metal pole. His eyes ran through every part of his butler's physique with an unbearably judging stare. When the blonde boy crossed his butler's burning, hazel eyes, his own sapphire ones softened, all judgment and coldness melted away in an instant. As a drizzle greeted them, the sound hollow against the windows, Alois started walking to the dining hall. He covered his ears in order not to hear the thunder.

* * *

"Hannah," he called to the young silver-haired maid waiting on him, "Don't you think it's so pitiful to be an egg?" he asked her in an apathetic and bored voice as he poked and poked the yolk until the yellow spurted out in an ugly, shameless mess at his dinner plate. "Yesterday, they were feathers, today, they were my meal. Before those long days, they could have been a plume….and tomorrow they may become someone else's organs."

The maid, Hannah, too frightened and intimidated by such an unpredictable master, was speechless. The blonde boy, disguised his annoyance with her lack of reaction using a far-off look, purposely dropping a glass of wine that hid his inconspicuous true intent, with such skill that only one in a hundred could possess. He let out a fake scream as the liquid hit his leggings, waking Hannah from her blankness. As the maid went on to work, slipping off the stained table cloth, Alois let out a fake yelp again, making the maid look at her master's face and see what is wrong.

To this gesture, Alois yanked a handful of her hair and pulled her face upwards. With a brutal smile and an insane spark in his cerulean eyes, he gouged out her eyeball, the blood spilling from the maid's poor, disfigured visage. An empty black whole was left of her face, and the blood soiled Alois' gloved finger. Hannah let out a painful scream, shocked and hurt. "Hannah…don't you remember that maids shouldn't be looking at their master's eye?" He paused to laugh sadistically, poking at the damaged hole in Hannah's face, drawing more and more blood, earning him more gasps and cries from the unfortunate maid. "It's not like I want to do this. You should be thanking me for sparing you from Claude's punishment."

With Alois jerking his head away gracefully, Claude stepped forward to wipe his master's stained fingers with a clean cloth. Then after the task was done, the blonde boy stormed out of the dining room, the pleasurable sounds the maid produced still ringing in his ears as he drowned himself to enjoy them.

Alois, accompanied by Claude, was on his way to his bedroom when a deep ring of the master bell alarmed him out of his reverie. Claude excused himself, then stepped towards the entrance to open the door and greet such a late visitor in the middle of the mad storm.

The visitor was all black. Black top-hat, black raincoat, black suitcase. His face was partially concealed by the long hat atop his head, but it was enough to reveal strands of rich, raven-black hair. His coat and his suitcase were drenched with the rainwater, and he was barely audible when he said, "If it will not be that much trouble for your master, I wish to spend the night here, that is, until the storm subsides."

Alois stepped forward, his heeled stilettoes making thundering thuds against the spotless floor. When he was closer to the drenched stranger than his own butler was, he groped the wet raincoat and began sniffing the unknown man, then when he was bored of that, he looked at the stranger's half-concealed pale-as-a-ghost face. Still keeping only a few inches from the stranger, he let out an innocent, yet oh-so-twisted laugh. "Claude! Look! He's as filthy as a rat with all the rainwater on him!" The stranger was stoic, not seeming to be alarmed by the way a boy of Alois' standing talk like that. He was still as silent as a grave the youngster continued on. "But he smells….good. He shall stay with us."

When the stranger was kindly led to their gilded dining hall, the table laid out with a single dish (which was in an ornate China plate of the utmost quality), Alois sat beside him, Claude standing to wait on them. The stranger was as rude as not taking off his drenched coat and his top hat, but the young boy cared not of it. He was still amused with the man's phantom-like bearing and his undeniable magnetic attraction. Claude found this fishy, as his master isn't interested in conventional, thoughtless things like these – and when he does, he loses interest in things fairly quickly. But the butler himself was also sensing something different from the stranger…

The stranger suddenly spoke in an intense voice, surprising both Alois and his butler. "This is indeed a fine, fine meal prepared with the highest quality ingredients and presented in a superb China plate…but it seems that you may have forgotten something." A wet, gloved finger pointed to the side of the ornate plate, indicating a sauce splash, barely visible to the human eye.

Claude took the plate away solemnly after apologizing to the stranger. "What a fine eye you have. I did not expect someone who does not even go through the trouble of taking off his coat and his hat to notice something as small as that. I do apologize for my incompetence. I shall bring you something else right away."

When the stranger was finished dining, he was taken to a guest room in Alois' mansion, the floor carpeted with a very thick and fine oriental one, the nightstands gilded with gold and silver threads, the furniture shining and newly-polished, the bed king-size with an exquisite set of beddings, and the walls a very high-class shade of deep, deep, deep red. The chandelier was crystal, and was shining, and the room was laid out with a few small paintings and sculptures. It was a superb room indeed, considering that this is only for the guests.

Alois sat beside the stranger on the edge of the bed (the stranger still had his coat and hat on), poking curiously at his drenched leather suitcase. He looked at it with such an innocent curiosity, alarming the stranger a bit when he saw Alois' persistent need to know.

His gloved fingers slid mischievously down, up, left, and right of the suitcase, with an unsatisfied look on his flawless, youthful face. "How fun is it to travel, stranger? It must be, very, very much. This mansion has already bored me. I wish I could travel like you do. See new things, interesting people…"

The stranger still maintained his sturdy-as-a-pole posture, keeping a not-so-obvious watching eye at his suitcase. "In a mansion this extravagant, how could you get bored?"

The blonde boy didn't answer the question. A discreet knock from the door alarmed them both, and entered Hannah, with a fresh bandage on her injured eye. She had a vase of water in her hands, and bowed when Alois turned to look at her. "I've come to change the water," she said in a meek voice. Yet Alois could sense something else from her. Something mysterious…that he couldn't figure out.

And because of this, he burst into another eruption, slapping the vase away from his maid's shaking hands, spilling the immaculate water on the carpet. The vase fell to the carpeted floor in an ugly crash, sending shards of broken glass down their feet. Alois, in the same insane flare in his eyes as when he gouged out her eye earlier, began kicking the innocent maid. Hannah made no protest, and willingly took his blows.

With a bitter smile, he began in a soft voice, "You came here to take a look at our visitor," he raised his voice, the anger showing. **_"CORRECT?!"_**

"I-"

**_"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"_**

The maid, after cleaning up the mess her master made on the carpet, quickly stepped out of the room. The stranger was shocked, but did not show it. "Is she all right?"

The stranger continued asking away when Alois was silent.

"Why do you treat an innocent maid that way?"

Alois was not a boy to be questioned. But since the stranger was new to him, he decided that he would treat him kindly. The blonde boy let out a sigh. "I really can't understand what she's really trying to do or say."

"And it scares you, hmm?"

Alois was stoic, but after a few seconds, he gave a small nod that could barely be seen.

"And you abuse your servants because it helps you feel more dominant…and in control of things."

No reply. The stranger continued on. "If you show me something interesting in this mansion…I'll show you what's inside my suitcase."


	2. Chapter 2: Visions and Reality

**_Author's note: To the unaware audiences, please be noted that in Japanese culture, demons aren't the nonreligious people who have fallen into the depths of eternal sin. In Japanese culture, "oni", which translates to "demon", is a person who simply has super speed, super strength, super intelligence, and all that. They are not necessarily nonreligious, so please do not confuse yourselves and think I am such a wicked person to write about them. _**

**_For the unaware audiences and for those who haven't read/seen any Kuroshitsuji before, please note that Claude and Sebastian are these so-called demons in the form of a human. _**

**_To the aware audiences and to those who have read/seen Kuroshitsuji before, the explanations about the contract will come much, much later. _**

**ANYWAYS, PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW! **

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The stranger carried his suitcase as if it was his lifeline, his grip silent but strong and firm. He was just coming down with Alois to the cellar, who was holding a candle. The boy looked delighted and thrilled, and his waltz-like footsteps down the stairs clearly showed that. The stranger somehow neglected to notice the young boy's eyes darting lustfully to his trunk, or pretended not to be aware.

They walked through rows and rows of tea boxes, jars, bowls, decanters – all things a cellar was expected to have. Old and new dust alike clouded the already murky area, and the monotony was very unattractive. After an eternity, the stranger stopped in front of a particular row. "That's it," he said, pointing to a small box of tea. It was labeled "New Moon Drop".

"Isn't it just tea?" The youngster asked him in an innocent voice to mask his knowledge, reaching out his gloved hand to obtain the stranger's current object of interest.

"Not quite. This is New Moon Drop. It's famous for its counter pole. The leaves are picked during a full moon, giving it a sweet scent….and an abysmal darkness." He reached out to get it, with a new force and hunger for it that Alois thought belonged to a different person.

"Not yet," Alois turned around, the little box away from the impatient stranger's grasp. "Don't worry….I'll show you. But first," he intoned in a slightly amused voice.

"First," a familiar voice continued for him, "Show my master what's in your trunk." It was a statement, the stranger thought, that didn't say everything the Trancy butler wanted to, but the yet-to-be told was already counted as unspoken.

Alois received a mental telegram coming from his butler. It was another of Claude's supernatural powers. No matter how far apart the master and butler may be, the butler (who is obviously not human) will be able to pick up thoughts from Alois' brain. This allowed Claude to comprehend exactly what his master wants, where his master currently is (if lost), and precisely what his master is currently thinking. Though Alois cannot do the same for his butler, he did find Claude's ability handy.

A deadly slice through the thick, motionless atmosphere was heard. A flash of gold could be seen, and a spilt-second later, the stranger's hat and his obscuring collar were forcibly torn away by Claude's – or the Trancy's – golden knives. Alois didn't think it queer for his butler to use utensils as weapons – he was already used to it. And besides, forks and knives were the only things in the world that a butler wouldn't be suspected should he be carrying it. Alois found it becoming for a butler to use dining utensils as weapons. He decided there was a fine end to it.

Alois surveyed the now revealed stranger. The front section of his coat was forcibly torn, but he wasn't bleeding. He had hair that was black as a raven's and eyes that were red – that kind of red you saw in letter seals.

There was no need for explanation. Alois knew exactly why Claude would interrupt them. "Master, there is a reason that that stranger so desires that tea box. Though it contains very exquisite and mysterious tea leaves, there is something that he mustn't obtain…an azure ring."

"Did you hear me?" Claude said, more persistently, preparing a new load of golden knives to throw. "Sebastian Michaelis!" The spider butler aimed. When the knives were in mid-air, Sebastian stripped off his coat and threw it to the knives. Taking advantage of Claude's inability to see (or his charade), and the intense air of the situation, he took the box from the slightly surprised youngster's hands with a quickness that couldn't be detected with the human eye. Alois was annoyed, but recovered in an instant, as usual. Sebastian then ran off, slipping after Claude and started off towards the cellar's exit.

"A promise is a promise!" Alois yelled to the escaping stranger who was running up the stairs, "Don't run away from me! Catch him, Claude! He has what we want!"

"Claude…you'll catch him for me, won't you?" the blonde boy thought, hoping that Claude would pick it up. He always did. "If he gets that box….Ciel…Ciel Phantomhive may wake up."

"Certainly, master," Claude returned the mental telegram, assuring Alois Trancy.

As his butler started to give chase, Alois followed at a slower pace.

The two men were now at the kitchen. When Sebastian reached a dead end, Claude shot a couple of knives at him as he put the trunk behind him to protect it. Sebastian suffered the blow, as he's now bleeding, but it seemed to be nothing to him. He didn't move from his position until Claude threw another stock of knives at him, forcing him to run. And run he did. The suitcase began wobbling, and it continued on until the locks were loosened. Sebastian stumbled towards the wall and the suitcase lay shamelessly open, revealing something that wasn't supposed to be seen by the eyes of his current patrons.

Claude Faustus didn't move from his position. When Alois walked closer, a new, different glow in his sapphire eyes was ignited. It wasn't the glow of insanity, but it was the glow of joy – perhaps excitement – a reunion with something long-lost. He took in the sight before him, his gloved hands in mid-air as if he was already touching the contents. The greed couldn't be hidden.

"Ciel Phantomhive!" he took in a sharp breath, his voice a bit higher due to his elation and his eyes growing wider and wider, "I've finally found you!"

An unconscious body of a young boy lay in the trunk, horribly bent and curled up to fit in the meager space. His skin was so smooth and pale, and his hair was a heterogeneous blend of dark-blue and black. He was definitely shorter and smaller than Alois, and the unconscious Ciel looked so defenseless in his current position.

Sebastian put his hands protectively around the young boy's unconscious body, as if to shield him from Alois' greed. After a few squirms he was able to lock the suitcase again. "I don't think so. I would never ever let selfish vermin like you stain the sweet flavor of his soul. You, who care about nothing but himself, shall never be able to touch him."

Alois was taken aback by the insult for a good while. Sebastian removed the knives from his chest, drawing some blood. He removed them as if they were nothing. Even if Alois didn't know about Sebastian Michaelis' not-so-human existence (he knew), it wouldn't take really very long for him to figure out that Sebastian was also a demon like Claude – in human form, that is.

Sebastian took the foreign utensils in his hands, and aimed it to Alois. The young boy's eyes widened at the sight, but when Claude sharply caught it to prevent an untimely demise, Alois smiled a smile of relief. A relief that he was saved by a horrid and untimely demise, mind you – he obviously couldn't smile when he realized that the situation was getting harder and harder for them. Sebastian has escaped.

Sebastian was already making his way through the mansion's main hall, and was gliding through the banisters for a guaranteed faster escape to the main door.

Yes, Sebastian was a fast runner, demon or not. He was intelligent too – he had to be, because he served such a noble-born master.

Sebastian's boots, still slightly damp and dirty from the earlier storm he had emerged from, was already staining the golden banisters. Claude's butler dress-shoes were perfectly clean, and he used this as an advantage to criticize Sebastian.

"You call yourself a butler," Claude began, soon beginning to slide down the banisters too, "Yet you stain the perfectly-polished banisters. What is this hypocrisy, Sebastian Michaelis?"

Sebastian had already reached the end of the stairs as Claude was only at the middle. Sebastian jumped and climbed up the gigantic crystal chandeliers that lit the whole hall with such generosity and efficiency. With a diabolical smirk on his face, he stood on a stand-able area of the delicate chandeliers, he said, "What do you mean? I'm simply one-" but he put a finger to his curled lips to interrupt himself. "No, it's still too early for that," he whispered mischievously.

When Claude's feet were already on the floor, Sebastian continued on. "Day into night, sugar into salt, living to dead, and sliver into gold, that's what you said makes a Trancy butler."

Alois arrived. The diabolical smile widening on Sebastian Michaelis' smile when he saw the youngster nearby, he continued. "Then I shall change that pure gold…..to black."

Then there was nothing but black.


	3. Chapter 3: My Hell

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or the characters. **

**Hmm...this chapter isn't really much. I narrated a scene from the Trancy OVA and put it here, where I thought it would fit the best. If everything seems too transparent, then... **

**...There's also a flashback here.**

**PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW!**

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There were things that rivaled the darkness of Alois Trancy's mansion when Sebastian severed the bond that held the gigantic chandelier hanging to the ceiling. A deafening crash of glass, crystal, silver, and gold was heard. Following it was a truly horrifying darkness. Everything became pitch-black. Dark, piercing, terrifying, beyond words.

A scream was also heard along with that, and it was the most prominent competitor. It was so heart-wrenching, so pitiful, so painful, so sorry, so frightened.

_A very, very young boy, not even ten years of age, had a messy mop of blonde hair and petrified pools of sapphire eyes. He held a frozen body of a boy younger than him – messy auburn hair, dilated eyes and a pale-white face since he was dead._

_The older boy couldn't even cry. He was too frightened, too terrified, too confused, too petrified, too shocked, and too helpless beyond words in order to do so. He was too frozen with anxiousness, and the flood of unwelcome emotions weren't ready to be registered yet. In his face was such desperateness – desperateness to get out of this pitch-black inferno. Everything was black. Everywhere, no matter where he looked, it was black. Though he tried to comfort himself by the fact that there were still rotting corpses around him, no relief came - everything was still black. Not even flickers of the flames remained. The blonde boy was all alone._

_**"DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"**__ he began to scream at the top of his lungs – it was all he could do to contain the overflowing barrage of emotions swelling within him. __**"PLEASE! SOMEONE! ANYONE! I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE! PLEASE! PLEASE!"**_

Alois Trancy was shaken out of his very horrifying recollection when Claude placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was the same warm touch that melted all his fears away, no matter when, and no matter how horrifying whatever he was remembering. Due to its effectiveness, Alois never stopped doubting its credibility – it always worked and it never fails – there's something suspicious about it.

"It can't leave me. I don't want it to leave me. No matter how fake it is, I don't want it to leave me. Never ever…I don't want to be scared anymore. I never want to see darkness anymore!" Alois thought. Painful tears came one by one on his pale, frightened face, until there was a flood of it. He was so frightened and petrified that he was even on all fours now. The tears dropped like waves on the spotless floor.

Claude was quick. He, along with Hannah, began to bring candles to restore the light and soothe his master's fear of darkness. Claude rushed over to his master's side.

A faraway clash of glass was heard. Alois was fully shaken out of his strait and was fully restored to his former state. He turned to Hannah.

"He's escaping! Go after him! Don't let him escape! We must have Ciel Phantomhive, no matter what!"

Hannah was out in a second. Claude made to follow too, but a firm, bone-breaking grip on his leg told him "no".

Alois was still crying, the sobs and the wails growing louder and more pitiful each second. "No, Claude…not you! Even if everyone leaves me….even if everyone abandons me…please…not you! Don't leave me alone….please…PLEASE!"

Days passed. Unfortunately for Alois Trancy, Sebastian Michaelis escaped. They could not obtain Ciel Phantomhive.

Alois was not a person to linger on defeats - as twisted as he is, he is very optimistic and will stop at nothing to reach his goal. He knew that the game hasn't even begun yet.

_Ciel Phantomhive_, the boy thought, his fist clenching tightly, _I will have you. _

But this day was another ordinary day for him, for a lot of reasons.

He decided that he was going to take a break today. The young boy was delighted when he found a beautiful bird, one with a very exquisite color, enough to catch his attention. The problem was that he found it because it was injured, and was robbed of its right and freedom to fly. Alois was quick to pity it. No matter how cold and unpredictable he may be, "heartless" is the last word he will be described with.

Alois ordered Claude to put the poor bird in a cage, to be put in his own room. The room was then to be filled with plush-red roses as the bird recovers.

The young boy was indeed surprised when his eyes were attacked with cool, icy blue instead of a passionate red. Bluebells filled nearly every corner and wall in his spacious bedroom, and the cool, blue sight was comforting against the eye. Alois thought that he was in a faraway ice kingdom. Much to Claude's surprise, tears started welling up once again in the blonde boy's eyes. Alois made it quite clear that they weren't tears of pain – they were the happiness of recollection and familiarity.

"Claude…why is it you understand me so well?"

_hkhkhkhkhhkhkhkhkhkhkhkhkh_

Though the poor bird died the next day, Alois didn't cry – it was very surprising indeed. Claude was just testing the water temperature for Alois' bath when he heard a distant cry and a mental telegram of fear was sent to him. His inhuman nose twitched, sensing something burning from halls away. In a second, the butler was there.

Alois' room was on fire. Everything in it was burning. Petal by petal, every single bluebell perished inside, the angry, uncontrollable yellow and orange and red destroying everything in its path. From the outside, the sight was very vivid, as the hallway was dark.

But to Alois, the fire couldn't have been any darker, no matter how vivid the flames were. He knew of all people that after flames come the ashes – until there was nothing but black.

Claude stepped forward to deal with the fire, but a discreet squeeze from Hannah's hand stopped him. The maid beckoned to their young master, who was currently on his knees, every bit of his being shaking with the unexplainable fear again. Claude received a mental telegram. "Don't, Claude! You'll get burned, too!"

With a flick of Claude's fingers, the fire stopped. Knowing that the darkness of the ashes left by the flames was the last thing Alois would ever want to see again, Hannah led him to the dining hall and wrapped him in a blanket. If it was a normal day, Alois would have already ripped her to shreds, but today was different. He clung to the blanket as if it was his lifeline. The cloth trembled as he did, so fiercely and so uncontrollably. It was a wonder the blanket wasn't torn apart by the boy's violent shakings yet.

_"I just…I..wa..I just…wa-wanted t-t-to…give t-the bbird….a painless…f-f-uneral," _the boy managed between sobs and his spasms._ "Bbut..the f-f-f-f-fire….! Itt s-s-spread…"_

In Alois' heart, the bird was long forgotten, buried by his new fear that took hold of him and twisted his heart. Hannah knew that he was crying out of fear again. That fire and darkness – no matter how wicked and how horribly treated she was by Alois, she felt that not even he deserved to recollect _that _hell _ever _again. A pang of guilt surrounded Hannah, and her expression showed that quite well. She wanted to hold him tight and do everything she can to make him forget. But how could she?

When the blonde boy calmed down a bit and his spasms became less violent, Claude led him to the newly-restored room. Alois was still incredulous, refusing to take in the sight of Claude's spotless and flawless work. Indeed, it was an impossible task for humans. But only for humans. And Claude Faustus wasn't one.


	4. Chapter 4: Remembering Who You Are

**There will be an explanation and a flashback here...**

**I know I haven't updated for a long time. But it's not like anyone reads this, right? **

**Here's the fourth Chapter. Hope you find it decent.**

**I do not own Kuroshitsuji or the characters**

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_Chapter 4: Remembering Who You Are_

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**"**H...How can this be?" Alois Trancy's voice trembled, full of doubt, the words coming out of his lips shaking and unsteady. Every single inch of his room was same as ever, restored to the state it was before it burned down. It was as if the fire never happened at all. Not a trace of ash, no remembrance of the earlier disaster. Not a single speck of dirt or dust was in the carpeted purple floor. The walls were as warm to the eye as always, Alois' bed made and in perfect condition. The chandeliers were shining, the early dawn light streaming in from the flawless window making each individual crystal produce rainbow rays.

"This is...impossible.."

_Nothing is impossible for the Trancy butler, Master_, Alois received the mental telegram._ That better be the truth, Claude_, he returned coldly and his sapphire eyes froze into a chilly snowstorm. Hannah swore the temperature dropped at least twenty degrees in the room. She remembered that when someone could overpower him, or was simply better than him, he couldn't stand it. Not even when it was Claude. No matter how much time has passed, Alois still resented the fact that Claude followed every single one of his orders with the utmost reverence and eagerness. Even when Alois tested him and gave some details amiss, the butler could still read his true feelings no matter what. Hannah knew that the boy sensed that something wasn't right with Claude - that there was a kind of unrealness whenever he did as Alois wished. According to Alois, it was...deceptive.

But that didn't matter to the boy right now. All that mattered was that the fire was long gone and the room was restored. All that mattered was that Alois wouldn't have to see another fire in front of his eyes again...for now.

_The blonde boy of ten was so paralyzed in fear that he couldn't even find the energy to tug at the silk spider's threads that restrained him. The bonds were so light and soft and delicate, yet it held him, their diamond whiteness shining against the pitch-black darkness of who-knows-where. The blonde boy lay confused and petrified, not knowing what he should do. Suddenly, a fuzzy image of a giant spider manifested beside him, its head just inches above his blonde locks. Finally, Alois was shaken out of his immobility and shivered as the spider began to talk to him. Wait, was it even a spider? The boy felt as if a bunch of invisible...things were choking him. Beads of cold sweat flooded down his head as he felt himself dying of fear and terror. His consciousness and awareness were pitifully slipping away. He felt his soul being forcibly sucked out of his body, slowly and painfully, fading into the pitch-black darkness of death. The blonde boy's body became limp and listless, and not even a finger could be lifted.  
_

_"What is your wish?" its voice was deep...diabolic...inhuman...frozen...as if it desired nothing but to kill the poor boy. Dominant and immovable. Alois felt all his remaining energy painfully draining away. The heaviness of the spider's dissatisfaction and judgment were weighing down on his shoulders, as if it were tangible.  
_

_"W-w-ish?" Alois managed to get the words out of his throat. He was still frozen but the new confusion gave him some life. "Wh-what are y-you say-saying? Do I need a wish?"  
_

_The spider's cold voice became even more darker. Alois' mouth closed, and remained frozen as he started to think about what the spider really meant.  
_

_"You mean you called me without a wish?" it said, voice sharper than a knife and colder than ice. Alois felt a new pang of fear electrocute his already petrified body. "Then I see you have no business with me." Some threads began to loosen and Alois felt as if he was falling down from the sky. He felt like he was dropping and dropping, as if the sharp fall was going to kill him, yet it was only darkness he saw. Alois observed no changes in the horrible scenery that made his heart feel as if they were pushed through funnels. No distance was being covered, yet he knew he was falling and he had to do something to stop it before he falls to his death. The obfuscating darkness filled his eyes, and he knew he was no different from a blind person. He gasped for breath as he tried to regain his composure. This couldn't scare him! At least he will survive this! He would never see the day to read the words, "Alois Trancy, fell into an unknown darkness, in an unknown world because he was careless" in his obituary. _

_Sucking in a breath, the unpleasant motion he was experiencing stopped abruptly when the spider heard his unspoken plea. Gathering the courage to speak up once again, he yelled as loudly as he could manage, "I do have a wish. I have lots of them. But I haven't...I don't know...what I really want."  
Alois shivered, and his body tensed up. What if the spider didn't hear him, or what if the spider was no longer interested in him? What if the spider drops him, letting him fall into the darkness? Will he kill Alois?  
_

_Much to the blonde boy's surprise, the formerly-broken threads connecting him to life were rejoined. The spider sounded pleased and there was a new tone in his voice as he spoke. Was it...obedience? Acceptance? Alois felt the threads loosen, but he didn't fall. He felt more comfortable, more safe...as if he could trust the giant spider. The beads of sweat finally froze away. The spider's presence, which was, seconds ago, made him feel near-death, was now very...calm and comfy, and for a second there, Alois felt dominant.  
_

_"Understood. Until the day you find one, I'll be waiting, then." And that was when Alois burst.  
_

_"Why? Why will you wait for me? Who am I to you? You barely know me! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME! Who gave you the right to boss me around?! Who...WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO-"  
_

_"Why, you ask? Weren't you the one who came here to me, begging?" The demon didn't know yet - it wasn't the right thing to say.  
_

_"I wasn't begging! That wasn't begging! I would NEVER beg!"  
_

_"But minutes ago you were begging for your life when I was about to let you fall to your death."  
_

_Alois calmed down in a nanosecond. "No...it's not that. Hear me out. I'm more than you think, spider." The giant spider was slightly amused by the boy's moodiness.  
_

_"How can you prove that?"  
_

_"One of the boys said that there was a fairy that would grant you any wish. I wanted to see if he was telling the truth or if he was just telling a stupid lie."  
_

_"No...I'm not a fairy. I am...a demon," the spider intoned in a solemn voice, making no effect on the blonde boy.  
_

_"A demon?" Alois nearly spat, his voice mocking and incredulous.  
_

_"I can do anything for you. Anything. Because I am a demon."  
_

_"Oh, really?" Alois let out a dry, dark laugh that was clearly forced out. "How do I know that?" The boy sounded disgusted.  
_

_"I can do anything for you..anything you want..on one condition."  
_

_The boy was still incredulous, and with a sarcastic effort, pretended to be interested. "Which is?"  
_

_"I take your soul after I fulfill your wish. Once you take the contract with me, remember that your path to Heaven or Hell is then nonexistent."  
_

_"A demon who takes your soul?" The words started to make sense for him.  
_

_"Yes. We eat souls in order to live."  
_

_Alois decided to test the credibility of the spider's words. What if they were all lies? What if this was just a dream? What if this was just set-up? "What kinds of things can you do?"  
_

_"Anything. Everything."  
_

_Is the playing games on him? "Are you immortal? Can you die? Can you revive a dead person?"  
_

_"There is only one way a demon can die, Jim McCain. But I live forever as long as I avoid that. And as for dead people...I'm afraid not."  
_

_All interest burned out of Alois' hard-to-please attention. Alois' voice darkened and he put his chin up stubbornly."Then forget it. I don't have any business with you either." But deep inside, he was threatening to burst again. Not burst in anger. Burst...to tears.  
_

_"Don't you wish...don't you wish to get out of this hellhole? Don't you wish to...live a life where you are treated as a human? Don't you wish to...live? Don't you...want someone to be with? Don't you...want to be happy?"  
_

_His throat ached so much, as tears threatened to fall. Alois' eyes flared with hatred, his lower lip already beginning to tremble. "I do, demon."  
_

_"Then make a contract with me."  
_

_"But why should I? Not even in dreams have I seen a twist of events as bizarre as this. Never have I thought that I would sink this low. Why should I beg for the help of someone else? Why should I ask for help from somebody when I know I can do everything myself?"  
_

_"My..aren't you an interesting fellow." The voice was genuine.  
_

_"Interesting or not, I DO NOT CARE, DEMON! ALL YOU WANT IS TO EAT A SOUL, NOTHING ELSE!" The tears fell from his sculpture-like face, his voice shaky and unsteady as he began sobbing.  
_

_"But I cannot take it unless there's a contract, Jim McCain."  
_

_"And that's the sad part of it, demon. Even if you fulfill every single wish I have till the day I die of old age, it won't matter in the end. Shower me with riches, give me a position in society that even the Queen would envy, give me millions of servants...no. I don't need that. I don't need a fairy-godmother to make my fantasies real. You can't give me what I really want, deep inside, no matter what you do. I don't need you."  
_

_"Why wouldn't you?"  
_

_"DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!"  
_

_"Understood. But remember...if you call me again...I will definitely come."  
_

_"Whatever."  
_

"Claude," Alois began sharply, in his acrimonious tone that meant business, "I have a plan...to make Ciel Phantomhive mine."

The spider butler's eyes bore a slight flame of interest, but the next nanosecond, they were as oblivious as ever. "And what is it?"

"Let's hold a costume ball, Claude. We'll invite him, along with many other nobles like him to make it look less suspicious. Since it's the Season, it will look as plain as day. Though I know it's just formalities and that kid already has an idea of what we really want...and especially Sebastian...he already knows what we want...unless he's stupid, of course." The tone of his voice changed again, this time, becoming more dominant and determined, much more dark and heavy. He turned to Hannah. "Begin the preparations at once. Send the invitations. Make sure the weather will be good on that day and no major occasions will coincide so that Phantomhive will have no excuse not to go. And...make sure to invite his fiancee as well. The cute blonde girl."

A twisted smirk found its way onto the boy's deceptively-angelic face. His eyes glowed once again with that same insane fire.

Hannah slightly shivered.

"...Ciel Phantomhive.." the boy began ranting, "I would love to see the look on your face when I've stolen all that you have..~"

Wall through wall, the boy's twisted, malicious, and naughty laugh echoed all throughout the Trancy manor.


	5. Chapter 5: A Harsh Tomorrow

Thank you for all the reviews~ Looks like a *few* people are actually reading this. And for that, thank you too. It's really a boost to morale.

Ok...I know that the story is reaaaaally slow. Trust me, it happens for a reason.

I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint anyone. Do keep in mind that I still lack some freedom since I am following the anime's events...but do remember that I'm not _completely _following everything.

* * *

_Chapter 5: A Harsh Tomorrow  
_

* * *

"Young master," Ciel Phantomhive's butler said in his mellifluous, captivating voice, "We received an invitation to a ball just yesterday. It is-"

Ciel Phantomhive interrupted him, in a voice that showed that he felt like throwing up and laughing at the same time. "Do you really think I would go to a _ball_, Sebastian?" His trademark sardonic grin was stuck on his face like glue. The next moment, he sighed, releasing all his emotions, and straightened his back.

"It is from Earl Trancy, young master." The towering butler felt his stomach slightly turn over and his heart drop slightly. He was once again unable to condone his own carelessness. "_Young master, I'm really sorry...and now it's my fault that you can understand nothing and I am capable of telling you nothing._"

The frail, small-framed entrepreneur needed to read no mental telegram. It was Sebastian's fault that his emotions easily made their way into his face.  
"Is this still about the amnesia, Sebastian? Is this...Trancy... someone I've met before? Is this something I know about?"

The butler gulped, his face utterly overflowing with remorse and regret. "No," he decided to lie for now. Having his master know the truth now will cost him nothing, but Sebastian knew he could use this to his advantage much later. "Earl Trancy is the queen's Guard Spider."

Ciel pondered for awhile. "...Guard Spider, huh?"

The same unbending, imposing voice, from a soul that was tainted, yet pure. Confident and bold, as if there was no amnesia that occurred - no unawareness to bring him down and make his life tortuous and twisted. As there was nothing that his small hand could not grasp, nothing that his power could not subjugate. How Sebastian wished his master knew how wrong he was. The unpleasant feelings were tied in knots in his previously inhumane heart, where no such feelings could find their way in. But now, things have changed, errors have softened him and according to his recent introspection his composure is (already) shaking.

_abababaababa_

_Sebastian is a demon. Running and sprinting a thousand miles from another demon and his master was no challenge to him. Yet he was panting, beads of sweat forming on his cream-white sculptured face. But they were not pants of exhaustion, they were pants of confusion and specter. They were not beads of sweat from fatigue either..they were from fear and anxiousness. His deep, wax-red eyes showed nothing but worry and uneasiness. Try as he might, he could not regain his composure. _

_His shaking fingers found their way to the suitcase's locks. Sebastian opened it, revealing the small-framed body curled up tight inside it. As Sebastian took hold of it and leaned it against the tree, he realized that __not only was it listless and unconscious in body...but also in mind and heart. _  


___The crow butler clenched his fist in a tightness that would have made a human's break. His rage and his anger and his hatred materialized into the black feathers that were soon darkening the immaculate, pure forest. His eyes glowed red with such an untamable fire that might have as well burned the whole planet.  
_

___"How dare they...Alois Trancy...Claude Faustus...HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU ROB ME OF MY YOUNG MASTER!"  
_

___The screaming was intense, and if Ciel Phantomhive were awake, his eardrums would have already shattered. Finally calming down, Sebastian regained his composure and soon the forest was back to its previous pureness and reticence. His young master opened his should-be-heterochromic eyes, removing his eye patch to rub his sleepy orbs.  
_

___Something was surely amiss.  
_

___One eye was as dark-ocean-blue as the other. In that eye, the seal was gone. Sebastian knew that even with the seal, Ciel's eyes were still blue, but the intricate pattern and the undeniable glow that was scarred on the young boy's eye made it look like a neon blue-green. To a human's eye, the contract seal would be less conspicuous, and therefore they must only see a natural forest-green, albeit a few parts of the seal.  
_

___But now, that contract seal was gone.  
_

___"...Se..Sebastian?" the young boy called out to him, his voice still groggy. "What...just happened?"  
_

___The butler gulped, and did his best to will his face reveal nothing of his misfortune. "It is time to wake up, young master," he says for starters, deeply worried and his voice ringing with defeat. "You've been in a very deep slumber." If Ciel was fully awake, he would've sensed that something was wrong with his butler.  
_

___Sebastian took his master's heirloom ring from the tea box, courtesy of his inhumane quickness that allowed him to steal from Alois Trancy's cunning fingers. He placed it in on Ciel's thumb finger (the only one where it would actually fit) with only one intention: to help his master regain his "lost memories".  
_

___And how he cursed the names of Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus that day, when he discovered that the ring was fake. It was fake, yet it was an excellent replica of the original. The blue had the same deepness - it was the same rich, captivating, blue. The cool-colored jewel had a glint that rivalled the brightest star. Everything, exactly like the original.  
_

___How he cursed his own carelessness.  
_

___How he cursed the angel that made his nightmare a reality. Ash. Trancy. Faustus. How he cursed their names.  
_

* * *

"Young master, the ball is a costume party, and Lady Elizabeth seems to have been invited as well. A telegram, she sent to us earlier today," the butler continued.

"Lizzy is going?" Ciel repeated, and in a nanosecond there emerged an honest, interested glint in his deep-blue eyes. He lowered his voice to a deep darkness once again, and his face turned grave. "This...Earl Trancy...it seems that his ball is an ostensible one. I cannot let Lizzy alone in the mansion of a person I feel I cannot trust. Sebastian, I am going. Begin with the preparations at once."

_"Dead-accurate, young master_," Sebastian thought to himself. _"You made the right choice." _Even with a perilous unawareness that threatens his own life, the boy seems to have been blessed with an intelligence and a superb gut feeling. A smile graced the butler's chiseled face. A mysterious smile that harbored both relief and uncertainty.

The boy rose from his seat soundlessly and made his way out of his "office". His butler followed him, with an expression so ambiguous.

Lunch had been served in the usual grand table, Ciel dining with flawless table manners that could only be seen on true nobles. Not a spot was on the immaculate table cloth. The silverware glistened like stars, just as they always should.

"But if it's a costume party, Sebastian," the boy began as he put down his fork, "then we would surely have a difficult time knowing who is who. But never mind. As long as everyone takes it easy."

Mind that rivaled even that of the sharpest politician. Instinct so valuable and priceless. A logical way of thinking that saved him from any disaster, trivial or serious, that could spell his own doom. This young, frail boy of thirteen that previously had heterochromia (courtesy of the contract mark) and pale, snow-soft skin. Yes, this was Ciel Phantomhive, the soul that Sebastian so hungered for and lusted after.

Ciel, clad in a dark, inconspicuous-looking pirate costume, sat on the plush velvet couch of his spotless, jet-black carriage with Sebastian (who wore no costume). Sebastian had succeeded on persuading his young master not to wear his azure ring (Ciel still doesn't know it's a fake), which, even in the company of the richest noblemen, would still attract attention. To Sebastian's unusual "request", the young boy cocked an eyebrow at him, but nevertheless obliged.

Now his elbow leaned against the spotless glass window, as his eyes followed the rapidly-moving scenery he could see from it. Fathoms deep in his own thoughts, the frail, vulnerable-looking youth fell asleep, the rough, violent rocking of the wheels lulling him to sleep.

* * *

Alois stood there like a statue, one that was sculpted with the utmost grace, passion, and skill. A gloved hand on his hips, his tall body clad in a purple vampire costume not very different from his everyday wear. Jet-black wings extended from his back and fake fangs hung from his teeth. With his well-brushed, platinum-blonde locks, perfect skin, pale complexion, and stunning sapphire eyes, it was no wonder he couldn't be mistaken for a vampire. It was truly a superb choice. The deep purple coat was trimmed with jet-black fur. It was short, and showed off the boy's stunningly long legs.

"Claude." The voice that screamed "don't mess with me".

"They have confirmed, master," Claude curtly replied, seemingly immune to Alois' venomous voice.

The same malicious, insane smirk. "...Perfect"

* * *

"My deepest apologies if they trouble you. But I'm afraid that it's a tradition that is strictly held here in the mansion. We do not kill spiders nor bother the webs they weave," Claude informed Ciel and his butler, who were well-received, now seated at the parlor.

"Not really a hustle," Sebastian assured him.

"My master will be here shortly. He's still busy with his preparations. Quite the fashionista he is."

_Giving us clues? Something's wrong here.. _Sebastian picked up his master's mental telegram.  
Sensing that Ciel was too deep in his thoughts to continue the conversation, he politely cut in. "Ho, I'm afraid that my master is the opposite."

Anyone could pick that up from the boy's ...mediocre costume.

Claude excused himself to serve them tea. When he was out of hearing distance (or so Ciel thought) the young boy issued an injunction. "Sebastian, investigate this mansion. _Thouroughly._"

The vulnerable, frail youth was already drowning in a sea of anxiety and discomfort. His head felt light yet everything was so crystal-clear to him that it was blinding. It appeared that everything else was normal - Sebastian with his usual stoical and pensive outlook and the Trancy mansion in flawless shape. Nothing unusual seemed to be happening around him.

He just knew it. He just knew that something is eerily wrong with this mansion, something that he knew capable of harming him.

Everything in sight became fuzzier each passing second. Ciel was attacked with a wave of confusion and...nostalgia?


	6. Chapter 6: Those Who Are Feral

I am really sorry for taking ages to upload. I'm probably not going to update very soon either after this.

I'm really busy, busy, busy, I can barely find time to even just type something up. I'm still reading tons of fanfiction for more experience and what you can call writer experience. Thank you for all who are reading and still reading this, I've noticed that the flow of events are painfully slow, and for 5 chapters, that was really painfully slow progress. I promise things will change and hopefully, be less...bland? For those who are supporting this fic, thank you very much *bows deeply*

* * *

_Chapter 6: Those Who Are Feral _

* * *

Ciel was attacked with unpleasant, indistinguishable emotions he couldn't quite decipher. Images, recollections, name them - plagued him mercilessly and for the first time in years he undeniably felt weak and helpless. The darkness was so deep that the fact that he was in the Trancy mansion and actually still conscious was long drowned out by the seizures that overwhelmed him. He felt lost and alone, but he knew that all he had to do was open his mouth an let a cry escape his lips...

_SEBASTIAN!_

Whether his mouth voiced the cry, or whether Sebastian heard it, the boy was not sure.

Calm and stoic as ever, the crow butler's face came into view, but of course, in fuzzy clippings. After what seemed like an eternity he felt a cool, reassuring hand on his shoulder. This simple touch seemed to exorcise all the diabolic spirits that assaulted him, wash all his anxiety away as if nothing happened.

"What's happening to me?" the boy's voice came out in a harsh, beleaguered whisper. His breathing slowed to normal, but his eyes made no improvement. The butler produced a handkerchief and began to wipe off the sweat drops disgracing his young master's sculpted, tender face.

Sebastian's answer was nothing but an ungraceful frown. The boy knew it wasn't a good sign.

When more guests started arriving, the parlor became more and more crowded with people. Every now and then servants brought in tables and plates and drinks and glasses. Nobles and dignitaries, flaunting off costumes and clothing from known and unknown lands, from chartered and unconquered territory, filled the large room. Strange and outlandish ones stood out, yet there were some that looked of the norm. But little did they care; this was a costume party, not a coronation.  
The heavy, burdenous air of exaggerated perfume, supposed to be pleasant, was too strong that it made Ciel want to vomit. Those pleasant odors of daisies and whatever, which hid the stench of the unhygienic bodies, was still too weak to overpower. The hall's air was an indistinguishable mixture of stench and fragrance waging war against one another. It helped little with Ciel's claustrophobia. The little earl put a finger to his nose as he leaned against the wall on the corner, a fortunately less populated area of the ballroom. He was thankful for the unattractive costume he wore, for no one bothered to approach him.

"Sebastian," he called in a low voice, "Fetch me a drink."  
"Trancy is taking too long to appear, fashionista or not. Search for him," he added mentally. Ciel felt the unpleasant, burdenous sting in his eye. The little boy looked down sideways, written on his face a lost but unwavering look.  
The butler was off, his jet-black tailcoat melted in with the swarm of color and costumes in no time.

He did his best to maneuver and overtake whenever possible. After what seemed like a disgraceful eternity he was able to reach the table that held the glasses of fine wine. As he was about to reach out for one, distant voices coming from the nearby hall alarmed him, sparked something within his being. He could smell two people his young master was looking for. One was pure and white, one was tainted, but neither white nor dark. It didn't reek of darkness but neither did it boast of the light.  
Sebastian concentrated on his ears, shutting out the buzzing in the ballroom so he could hear what they were talking of. All at the same time he sent a mental telegram to his master at the opposite side of the ballroom. "They are here," he stated plainly.

The meek yet unwavering reply came. "I'll be there."

As he waited for his master to fight his way out of the swarm, Sebastian listened.

"Forgive my impudence, but I am not interested," the first voice called out. It was calm, but it was trembling. It was a high-pitched voice, belonging to a girl. The voice was low and dangerous, but it was clearly terrified - and powerless.

"Oh, my lady, it matters not if you are or not. Here, let me show you something interesting." The second voice was lower, obviously male, yet there was a feline grace to it, a very slinky yet effeminate one. It was a voice that concealed venom, one that was ever-so-ready to strike.

Sebastian guessed Trancy was creeping indecently closer to the poor girl, for he heard what seemed to be a slap.

"How rude!" the voice rose in pitch, obviously angered now.

A dark, amused whistle. "How rude, yes! To slap the face of your patron!" The voice pretended to be hurt and threatening, but Sebastian could've sworn the boy was charmed. The crow butler could imagine a cheshire grin and glinting eyes come with that. This Trancy boy is something different. The bad kind of different.

Sebastian sent an urgent telegram, even though he was sensing his soul come nearer and nearer. "Young master, this is trouble."

"I'm coming," the boy sent back, obviously displeased by having to squirm his way.

The butler continued listening.

"-didn't mean any impudence, Earl Trancy. I'm...betrothed."

The voice pretended to be amused and interested, but Sebastian knew the girl's statement fell on deaf ears. "Oh? Is that so? Then-"

Voice and musing were interrupted by a graceful beginning of a waltz. The swarm of costumes had fallen into pairs and were on the right position as the song dictated the launch of their dance. Sebastian swore to himself, reaching out a gloved hand to pick up another elegant glass. He could smell the same two people making their way into the dance, and he quickly assigned another visionary line to the back of his head to observe them.

An indignant air made the crow butler look forward. Ciel has seen the disgraceful sight before him. Whoever that foul boy was, an angry red filled Ciel eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, painting a perfect scowl. He concentrated on the blonde boy holding his fiancee's hand as if it belonged to him and him alone. The girl clearly objected, of course. But little did it help.

With that, a thousand questions also loomed over Ciel's mind. Why is Trancy already with his fiancee? Why is he pestering his fiancee? Why, why, why, a thousand more whys.

"Young master," Sebastian warned him mentally. "Calm yourself." With that, some norm returned to Ciel's tender face.

"I know," he sent back half-heartedly. Yet anyone could see that the boy was far from willing.

Whether Trancy was blind to notice the piercing glare or chose to ignore it, Ciel didn't care. He cleared his throat, straightening his back.

"Good evening, Elizabeth," he managed lamely, his eyes stale and his face grim.

The girl didn't manage anything more than a meek reply that was barely audible. Ciel's scowl returned once again. Instead of the usual sunny voice that never seemed to send warmth throughout his body no matter what, all that took its place was terror and embarrassment. Whenever Ciel called her by her name, the girl would pout and scold him warmly, demanding to be called "Lizzy". Now there was nothing. Nothing of that sort.

The blue earl did not blame her, though. Trancy's frail arms, no matter how weak-looking they may be, were iron bars. Ciel could see that plainly. It wouldn't take any effort to break free, but it wasn't the issue of strength. Those frail arms looked like claws ready to snatch their prey should they attempt any escape. The blue earl knew Lizzy couldn't move not out of weakness, but out of fear. The fact that Trancy was the benefactor tonight helped nothing. It was their worst enemy.

He sent another death-glare to Trancy, written all over his face not a request, but an order to give him back Lizzy, tonight's benefactor or not. To the blue earl's surprise, Trancy seemed to understand this. Was he actually going to-

The purple earl smirked, a smirk so diabolic and out-of-this-world that Ciel could have sworn that it was a demonic spirit that filled the other boy's eyes during that moment. An equally diabolic grin graced that absurdly angelic face.

Ciel kicked himself mentally, faced with a very unpleasant irony. Angelic face or not, Trancy reeked of deception and all that was wicked. He didn't get the purple earl at all. There was a genuine honesty in him, but -

An unbelievably pure, childish laugh rang him out of his thoughts. It was sounded like a girl's - light and soft. Ciel didn't know whether he should be surprised or terrified. But he did feel the chills run down his spine.

Trancy leaned closer to the blue earl, but his gloved hand still did not part with Lizzy's small, trembling palm. He stretched his attached arm, providing a distance between him and Lizzy so that she won't hear what he was about to say, all the while giving Ciel less space.

The purple earl faked a childish smile, but his face remained so graceful and natural that Ciel couldn't judge if he was joking or not. "Of course," Trancy replied, then stopped for a while, his face darkening with a thousand threats and dares. "...not."


End file.
